Decorating Q & A

Apply wallpaper on the ceiling for a neat wreath circling the ceiling fan.

How do you update a kitchen that has old cabinets? Try painting the cabinets if replacing or refacing them is too expensive. Scrub the surfaces first with trisodium phosphate (TSP), sand and prime or use stain killer if they've been previously stained. Then apply a semi- or high-gloss water-based paint.

Ceiling Fan Detail

A viewer who saw a hand-painted wreath around a ceiling fan tells us it can also be created with wallpaper borders; individual motifs from wallcovering can also be cut out and applied as desired.

Decoupage Tips

A viewer writes to ask for as much information she can get about the art of decoupage. Here are a few suggestions:

• Instead of using an original image, have it color-copied and use the copies.
• Apply the images with gum arabic--it never yellows.
• Instead of the traditional lacquer, use a crackle finish to add an aged appearance.

Updating Grasscloth

What can you do about some ugly grasscloth if you really don't want to scrape the walls? Grasscloth can be covered with a flat or a semi-gloss paint. The texture will remain, but the wallcovering will be refreshed considerably.